Red Hoodie
by Swag Giraffe
Summary: Dwyer isn't looking forward to his second year of high school, in a school full of crazies. However, there's a girl he hasn't met in his class, who always wears the same red hoodie. Will she make his year more interesting, or have no impact whatsoever? At the very least, she could stop eating 'dirt cookies'... Dwyer-centric modern high school AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Fates. Or Lord Of The Rings.**

* * *

The cheery chirping of birds carries on the early autumn breeze, bringing with it the sharp scent of a dying summer. On the second story of an ordinary house a window stood open, inviting in the August wind. The hazy glow of dawn danced across a neatly made bed, and illuminated the pristine teaset resting on the desk just inside the window.

A groan was heard from the room's occupant - Dwyer Bartram. He squinted at the window, crossing to it groggily. "You should be closed…" Cranking the window shut, he sighed. School started today, and as much as he didn't want to be late, he didn't want to be awake, either.

Shuffling out of his bedroom, he went into the bathroom, frowning at his hair. Bedhead. Shutting the door, he brushed his teeth and combed his hair, tugging on the long bangs. "This might be getting a little long…" He looked in the mirror at his black hair, hanging shaggily around his ears and tickling the top of his spine. Shrugging, he shuffled back out of the bathroom and across the hall to his bedroom, where he got dressed.

First day of school. Most girls fretted about this day, buying an outfit that none of their friends had seen before, and that they likely wouldn't wear again. Dwyer rolled his eyes at the thought. _What a waste._ Pulling out a soft grey tee and a dark pair of jeans, Dwyer changed without much thought. Double-checking the backpack he'd filled the night before, he nodded in satisfaction. Grabbing one of the straps, he dragged it behind him as he thumped down the stairs, eyes still hooded with weariness.

"My my, Dwyer dear, that's no way to greet the new school year, is it?" The fifteen year old boy looked up at the childish voice of his mother. She smiled at him from across the kitchen counter, sliding a plate of waffles toward him. She still looked so young… his mother could have been twenty if you went by looks. It was a little weird sometimes… but she was a great mother, so he couldn't complain.

"I guess not…" He leaned his backpack against the wall near the door, shuffling to the counter and picking up his plate. "You're up pretty early, making waffles…"

His mother, Nyx, smiled with a small shrug as she looked up at her son. "I just thought you might like a real breakfast, since you're starting school again."

Dwyer smiled gently at his petite mother, setting his plate on the kitchen table and turning. "Well, why don't I return the favor and make you some coffee before you have to go to work?"

"Oh, Dwyer, that would be divine!" Nyx sighed happily, taking her own breakfast to the table. "You know how I love your coffee, you always brew it just perfectly…"

Dwyer blushed lightly at his mother's praise as he began making a pot of coffee. The sound of a cleared throat in the doorway startled him from his hand-brewed masterpiece, and he turned, startled. "Oh. Good morning, father."

Jakob nodded at his son, throwing a glance at his wife. "Good morning son, who is second to me in all things."

Dwyer chuckled and returned to his work with a shake of his head. His father was always like this, unwilling to admit that his son had surpassed him in the art of brewing a perfect hot drink. Owning a chain of coffee and tea shops doesn't make you the best…

Nyx giggled lightly, standing to fetch her husband some waffles. "Oh come on, dear, you know I love your coffee, too."

The silver-haired man grunted, hiding a smile. This was practically family routine these days, and he enjoyed pouting about it for a while. He sat at the table, following his wife's every movement with an adoring gaze, and Dwyer glanced at him before quickly returning to his work, trying not to gag. Sure, it's a good thing when your parents love each other, yeah, it's great. But his parents, like, _really_ loved each other… ah well. _Teenage boys just aren't fond of that kind of thing,_ he supposed. _Good excuse, good excuse,_ he mentally patted himself on the back. Still, he was glad he'd inherited his mother's dark hair. That silver hair his father'd had all his life… Dwyer would look like an old man with it, he was convinced.

The low murmur of conversation between his parents was relaxing, especially since he couldn't hear what they were talking about. He finished up the coffee and poured it into three mugs, carefully taking them all to the table. "Here you go…" He set on in the front of his mother with a smile, and then, smothering a smug smirk that threatened to erupt on his face, he gave one to his father, who eyed him with mock suspicion. Sitting before his own breakfast, Dwyer enjoyed the soft chatter between his parents and dreaded going to school.

* * *

 _I can't wait until high school's over…_ Dwyer thought to himself as he sat, elbow resting on his desk and chin cradled in his hand, trying to stay awake.

"Don't fall asleep, Mitama, class hasn't even started!" Dwyer heard the voice of one of his classmates nearby, addressing the girl in the desk behind him. In all honesty, he was surprised Mitama was even _there_ that early.

"Slumber is needed… To survive the horror… That is a school day." The self-proclaimed haiku-master muttered, not lifting her head from her desk.

Dwyer turned around, gaze falling on the girl as she lay draped over her desk, peach-colored hair spilling over its surface, missing its signature pigtails. She must've been _really_ tired… he briefly wondered if her parents had forced her out of the house early. "Wow, Mitama, I don't think you were even trying there."

She lifted her head, narrowing her head at him in annoyance. "I shall forgive you that insult because you are my friend, Dwyer, but don't push it."

He chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. The girl sitting to the left of Mitama pitched in again, "Mitama, if you're tired, I can mix you up an energy drink in fifth period."

Dwyer's gaze shifted to the girl that spoke, noticing that her pigtails, although different from Mitama's, were tied neatly into her sky-blue hair. "Uh, I dunno if she wants to drink that stuff, Midori…"

"Why not?" Her voice quivered slightly, as if she could tell he was about to insult her. Gosh, she was so innocent… and she looked like a thirteen year old. Dwyer couldn't help but wish he hadn't said anything. Let Mitama fight her own battles, she wasn't exactly known for her compassion, anyway.

"Uh, you know… it could get…" Dwyer trailed off, tugging at his black bangs. _Oh, I forgot to mention a haircut to Mom…_

"Get what?" Why did she have to sound so victimized?!

"Uh, you know…"

"No, I don't." Her purple-grey eyes blinked in confusion, and Dwyer could _just see_ them welling with tears. He'd carelessly made her cry plenty last year.

"Uh… dangerous…"

"Dangerous? No no, it's been properly tested and everything!" Midori crossed her arms, grinning proudly. "I perfected the recipe over the summer!"

"R-really now?" Dwyer asked cautiously.

"Yep! Just ask Ignatius!" The girl slung an arm over the back of her chair, beaming at the boy sitting behind her. "Right, Ignatius?"

The giant of a teenage boy looked startled that she'd included him in the conversation and blushed instantly, shyly nodding. "Y-yeah, we tested it. ...A lot…"

"Yep!" Midori turned back to Dwyer, a satisfied grin etched upon her childish features. "Ignatius became my test subject after Shigure upchucked a batch of immune strengthener and refused to take any more of my medicine." She pouted, shooting an annoyed look at her twin brother in the front row. "Right, Ignatius?"

"Mm." The boy nodded, staring at his desk.

"And that's why we're gonna be partners in chemistry. Right, Ignatius?"

"Mm." He nodded again, his long dark blue hair falling and shadowing his face. Dwyer could never place the color. Denim? Oxford blue? Whatever color it was, he definitely got it from his mother. Dwyer met her once when his mother visited her boutique. Apparently they knew each other in high school or something.

"We're gonna be the _best_ chemistry students! We're gonna, like, discover the cure for all sorts of things! Right, Ignatius?"

"Mm." Man, either that kid didn't talk much, or he wasn't a morning person. Or maybe a mixture of both… Dwyer knew him to be talkative when he wanted to be. Maybe he was scared of taste-testing more medicine?

"Hey, Dwyer, what's up!" Dwyer swung around abruptly at the sound of his name, a girl's grinning face mere inches from his own.

"U-uh, hey, Soleil. Personal space, remember?" He frowned when some of her baby blue hair fell into his face, tickling his nose.

"Whoops, sorry, you're right!" She stood up, putting a hand on her hip as she surveyed him. "Nice hair, Dwyer, I see you grew it out over the summer. Man, you're gonna have girls falling all over you, they just dig that just barely overgrown hair look! And you always look so brooding and mysterious… mmm, I'm so _jealous_ of you, Dwyer!" She chattered as she plopped into her desk on his right, slinging her backpack onto the back of her chair with ease. "Maybe _I_ should get a haircut… then the girls will love me even more! What do you think, Dwyer?" She finally paused and addressed her friend, who shrugged, at a loss. He didn't really know what girls liked, nor did he care.

"Uh… I think your hair looks nice… they probably like it the way it is, right?" He hoped he'd said the right thing, and that Soleil wouldn't go hacking at her waist-length hair in a closet somewhere to make a greater impression on the first day of school. I mean, if she tried to change clothes in the middle of the gym during PE, he was sure the homemade haircut would definitely cross her mind.

"Aww, well thanks, pal!" She grinned at him, adjusting the white and gold headband in her hair. "I'll just leave it be, then!"

Dwyer sighed with relief. No Soleil drama toda- actually, there was no guaranteeing that. There was always some kind of Soleil drama going on…

A pair of girls entered the classroom next, a blonde wearing fox ears that was chattering excitedly at her companion, and a girl in a red hoodie with a streak of lavender in the front of her otherwise white bangs. Dwyer narrowed his eyes at the pair as they sat a couple rows in front of him. (Being close to the back but not _in_ the back was Dwyer's preference, so he sat one row from the last.)

He knew the blonde, she had a white streak in the front of her short blonde hair, and was always wearing a fox tail and matching ears. Selkie, daughter of a famous movie actor going by Kaden. He thought using only one name made him sound cool or something. Edgy. Dwyer didn't remember, he'd only skimmed the interview he'd been reading about him. His daughter wore accessories similar to the ones her father wore in his famous movie trilogy, "Lost Paradise." Some town gets destroyed by invisible enemies, it was a pretty interesting series, although Dwyer wasn't always into the current stuff. It was the most popular trilogy since Lord of The Rings, which was saying something.

But the second girl, he didn't know her. He stared at her, trying to figure out if he'd seen her before. He had the feeling he'd seen the red hoodie around last year, but its wearer was often staring at the ground as she walked, oblivious to the world around her. It was strange, Dwyer knew everybody in his class last year, and it was mostly the same this year. There must have been a few different people. Weird. _Well, I'm sure I'll meet her sooner or later,_ Dwyer mused, shrugging to himself.

A loud gasp resounded through the kids in the room, and Dwyer looked up at the doorway, wondering what could possibly be so interesting. Was the darned teacher finally there?

No. No he wasn't. It was a kid. A girl in a frilly pink dress reaching to her dainty ankles, which were covered with white stockings and paired with black mary-janes. A pink beret sat stylishly askew on her dark pink ringlets, and she smiled sweetly, waving to the class with daintily gloved hands.

Ooooh no. That was no girl. It took him a second, but Dwyer recognized the student, and the rather showy outfit that had surfaced a few times last year. That student was Forrest, the son of a famous history professor at Notre Sagesse University. The boy loved cute, frilly girls' clothes, and the school let him wear them on occasion, because causing trouble with his family would mean potentially ruining the school's relationship with the university, and then, well, they'd be screwed. He was a really nice guy, but people often mistook him for a girl. He _sounded_ like a guy, though… ah well. Dwyer waved to the boy, who returned the gesture with a gentle smile before sliding gracefully into his seat in front of Soleil.

Students poured in for the next minute or so, fearing being late to class. Nina came bursting in, her light blue braids bouncing as she scrambled for a seat. Sophie wasn't far behind, bumping into Shigure's desk and apologizing profusely. Then in came someone that surprised Dwyer. He figured Hisame must've been moved classes, because that kid would never be late to anything. But he was walking with Ophelia, which might explain it, because she was late pretty often. And then she'd hold up any activity with her extensive vocabulary and "chosen one" nonsense.

And then, finally, like the end of an atrocious play, the teacher walked in, and Dwyer crossed his fingers, hoping that the school day would go well.

* * *

 **Hello! If you are reading this, you're beautiful, thank you. :)**

 **If you're someone that reads my other stories and is looking at this like, "Waaah, a new story, and she hasn't even updated her others in forever, or responded to my PM!", I apologize. Things happen, life can be tough, and I have to pick and choose with my typing. (Technically my mother wanted me to speak my stuff into the computer, but that was weird... XD) I'm not going to constantly apologize, although I really feel as though I should. But, this is in an attempt to get my creative juices flowing for my other stories (including a valentine oneshot I needed to have done in February...), so updates will come as soon as I can manage them. :)**

 **I hope you enjoyed the first chapter! If it was a little boring, I apologize. It's more of an introductory chapter, the plot will pick up, I promise. :)**

 **If you liked it, review, follow, just let me know what you think! :) Constructive criticism is ALWAYS appreciated, just no flames, that's rude. ;P**

 **See you when I update! (There is no set schedule, I apologize.)**

 **~Swaggy-chan**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fire Emblem: Fates.**

* * *

Damage report. One scorched countertop in the chemistry classroom, courtesy of Midori and her lab partner, Ignatius. The fire was definitely _her_ fault, though, based on the poor guy's terrified reaction. _It really was sweet the way his first instinct was to get her away from the flames, though_ , Dwyer mused, pondering their strange friendship. Midori's father, Kaze, was the chemistry teacher, and nice guy that he was, put out the fire and made sure all the students were okay. Nobody even seemed to mind much by the time the ordeal was over. That's just the effect Mr. Ellil had on people.

One mob of girls that crowded hallways EVERYWHERE as they followed Forrest, trying to get beauty tips from him. (Whatever brand his shampoo is, the company should start paying him as some kind of walking advertisement.)

One count of detention for Selkie, who argued shrilly with the teacher about removing her ears and tail. Not that that never happened last year. Her friend in the red hoodie seemed to find it rather humorous, and didn't seem to sympathize with the poor blonde's whining at all. Dwyer still had no idea who she was, despite having managed to survive an entire school day. And she was in every one of his classes.

One Shigure with a concussion after having been startled from his seat alone in the cafeteria by an overzealous Soleil, then being knocked over by a Sophie walking backwards, who couldn't seem to apologize enough. She even offered to shave off all her dark purple hair in repentance, which the soft-spoken boy found ridiculous. Soleil offered to sing by his bedside, to which the musical prodigy cringed, informed her that he wasn't dying, and told both girls such drastic measures would not be necessary. Poor kid spent a long time in the nurse's office, then got sent home early, and his twin sister tagged along worriedly, going on about medicines she could make for him. Guy looked like he might've prefered to stay where there were lots of people than down more… _immune strengthener._ Haha.

One loud argument at lunch, just before the Shigure incident. Caeldori, the student council president, was lecturing Shiro, another upperclassman, on his appearance, and how it reflected on the school. And, as usual, it boiled down to a stubborn shouting fest that made zero sense to anybody around.

One instance during P.E. where Soleil got sent to the principal's office for chasing girls around trying to pinch them, and knocking over three nets of volleyballs in the process. Boy, was Hinata- er, Mr. Duncan, Hisame's dad and the P.E. instructor, _not_ happy.

And one perfect batch of cookies. Hehe. Strange as it may sound, Home Ec was the highlight of Dwyer's exhausting day. The boy loved to cook, and led his team to make a beautiful batch of cookies that impressed the teacher. Ha. _No baking challenge can defeat Dwyer,_ the boy chuckled to himself as he looked at the plate with a few remaining cookies on it, pondering what to do with them. School was over, and it would be a waste to throw them out… picking up the plate, he turned to find a plastic bag to zip them in. Nobody else wanted them (shockingly), so he was tasked with doing something with them, so he might as well take them home.

One step and a cookie slid off the plate, landing on the floor with a sad little _thud._ Aww. Sad little cookie. Well, it needed to go into the garbage for sure, you can't eat food off a public school floor…

Just as Dwyer was about to pick up the fallen warrio- er, cookie, a voice shrieked from the doorway, "ooh! Dirt cookie!" And then it was gone.

Dwyer looked up in shocked, following the pale hand that had snatched the ruined confection. And there was the quiet girl in the red hoodie, munching contentedly on the germ-covered cookie. He was confused. Why was she here? Did she just _sense_ the cookie fall? And dirt cookie, what the heck was _that_ supposed to mean?!

"H-hey, that was mine." Dwyer said half-heartedly, hoping the poor girl didn't get sick…

"It was a dirt cookie."

"And?"

"You didn't mark it as yours." Golly, she was so serious and matter-of-fact. Who the heck was she, anyway?

"I, uh, didn't realize I needed to."

"Well, now you know." And with that, the girl turned tail and left the room, red high-top converse squeaking on the tile floor and hood slipping, revealing long white hair. She grabbed the hood and pulled it back up before throwing a glance at Dwyer, smiling with an odd glint in her eye. "Thanks for the dirt cookie." And just like that, she was gone.

"B-but you can't just eat food that falls on the floor…" Dwyer trailed off, staring at the doorway. That was… strange. She was strange. Dirt cookie? Whoever put _that_ idea in her head had much to answer for. With a sigh and a shake of his head, he returned to his task of safely storing the non-germ-infected cookies and setting them in his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder.

As Dwyer walked the halls, he heard shouting and the squeaking of sneakers in the gym. Poking his head in curiously, he found the girl's volleyball team practicing. Oh. Right, fall sport, indoors. Cool. He saw the redheaded coach and her, er, rather spacy-looking assistant coach standing on the sidelines. What was the coach's name again?... Hinoka? Something like that. She was pretty famous, after all, she was married to that guy that owned Windmire Incorporated, the enormous technology company. Her son went to school there.

Dwyer scanned the field looking for familiar faces, just out of boredom. Soleil, Selkie, Nina, Ophelia, Caeldori, and… Little Miss Dirt Cookie. How'd she make it over and changed so fast?! That girl was a total mystery to Dwyer. Rather like how his mother looked so young, or how they still managed to sell baby dolls that cried. What parent wants _that_ extra noise in the house? With a sigh, the boy tossed his bangs out of his vision and retreated, starting the short trek out of the school and to his house.

* * *

"Dwyer, are you up there?" Shouting roused the young man from his slumber and he opened his eyes slowly. The first week of school _sucked._ Luckily tomorrow was Saturday, and he could nap to his heart's content… but wait… speaking of napping… wasn't somebody calling him?

Sitting up with a soft grunt, he swung his legs over the edge of his bed and padded to the hall, shuffling down the stairs. "Did you need me?"

Nyx smiled at her son, hanging her keys on the small peg beside the door that read, _Old soul, young body._ Yeah, his mom was really into that kind of thing, for some strange reason… his father had that custom made for her. Dwyer never really got it. What did it mean? Maturing early? Reincarnation?

"Well, I just got home, and I thought we'd all go out to eat tonight. Your father should be home in about ten minutes, so go make yourself presentable, and we'll all go out."

"Any particular reason?..." Dwyer, ever the homebody, questioned, taking his mother's jacket from her and hanging it in the closet.

"No, not really, I just thought it'd be nice to go out and celebrate the end of the first week of school. You can tell us all about it." Her smile, usually so gentle and real, was a little too big this time.

"The oven broke again, didn't it?"

"The oven broke again." Nyx shrugged sheepishly, "I called the repairman, but he can't come until tomorrow."

Well, there went Dwyer's peaceful Saturday. Goodbye, Saturday, day where 'ur' meant to 'sat'. Heh. Bad grammar, good pun. Parting is such sweet sorrow…

"Dwyer, dear, you're staring into space. Don't worry, your girlfriend will be all better soon." The petite woman smiled with a sarcastic glint in her eye, reaching up on her tiptoes to pat her son on the head.

Dwyer felt his cheeks heat up before he realized what she meant, and he frowned. "The oven's not my _girlfriend_ , Mother…"

A light-hearted giggle sounded from the woman as she softly climbed the stairs, "Oh yes, with how often the two of you are together, I'd say you're practically _married._ "

Dwyer rolled his eyes, following his mother up the stairs. "Not true, Mother… if that were true, I'd be cheating on her by taking home ec. Oh, which reminds me…" The image of Dirt Cookie Chick flashed through his mind, and his mother responded.

"Yes?"

"Nah, it's nothing." Dwyer shook his head, deciding maybe he'd tell her later. She probably wanted to change into something more comfortable. "I'll go get ready." And with that, he ducked into his bedroom.

Oven girlfriend, pshaw. Was she making fun of him for being single? Lots of guys his age were single! He didn't even _want_ a girlfriend… was it a mother's job to tease her son about girls? ...Yes, actually, it probably was. Dwyer sighed, looking at his bed longingly. He was sleepy. Darned oven.

* * *

"Dwyer, please wake, breakfast is ready!" Ah, a mother's voice. Such a lovely, comforting sound. What boy wouldn't want to wake up to that?

Dwyer, that's who. He didn't want to wake for anybody, to be honest. Calling out a muffled "'Kay…" he rolled out of bed, grunting as he hit the floor. Out of bed. Check.

Check the clock. Check. Nine o'clock?! He wanted to sleep until ten…

Push himself across the floor like an inchworm. Check.

Make a mental checklist of things he was doing. Check.

Wish he hadn't gotten dust on his face. Check.

Get upset that there was dust on the floor. Check.

Smell bacon. Check.

Smell his father's coffee. Check.

Get an urge to bake cookies. Check.

Remember that the oven was broken.

Dang it.

Standing slowly, Dwyer went through his morning routine, including reminding himself to tell his mother about that haircut. Dressed in grey sweats and a red tee, he dragged himself down the stairs, yawning in the kitchen doorway.

"G'morning, Mom."

"Ah, you're up. Good morning, Dwyer." Nyx smiled, her thick, dark ponytail swishing as she turned to greet him, gesturing to his plate of bacon and eggs on the counter.

Dwyer smiled tiredly at his mother before scanning the room, eyes alighting on his father. "Good morning, father who is superior to me in all things."

Jakob chuckled, waving smugly from behind his newspaper and cup of coffee. "Good morning, Dwyer."

The boy shot his father a grin before taking his plate to the table, his mother close behind with his coffee. Hmm, smelled a little sharp. He over-roasted the beans. Strange for his father to make such an amateur mistake. Ah well, it would seem as though the legendary Jakob, who shouted strange things such as "You're about to be served!" and "Time to take out the trash!" was only human, after all. _Why is nobody in my life normal?_ Dwyer asked himself tiredly as he munched on his breakfast.

"So, Dwyer, the repairman comes at noon, but your mother has a previous engagement with some friends, and I have to head out to the town outskirts as soon as I'm done here, something's come up. So we need you to greet the man, see that he's paid, and kind stick around downstairs while he's here, no napping, you understand?" His father's voice took on a very serious tone as he looked over his paper at his son, who blinked quickly.

They wanted _him_ to do all that? Well, they must think him pretty responsible… "Yeah, no problem…" He nodded, turning back to his breakfast.

"Well, good. Now that that's settled, I need to be going. See you later, Dwyer. I'll be back by four, darling." He bent over and gave his wife a kiss on the forehead before heading for the door, her farewell following him out.

Dwyer finished up his breakfast, offering to wash the dishes. His mother gratefully accepted his offer, retreating to her bedroom to get ready for her outing.

Humming a soft tune as he worked, Dwyer washed the dishes, making sure the oven was spotless as they sat in the dish drainer. Wouldn't want a guy coming to fix a _dirty_ oven, now would you? No, no you wouldn't.

A knock sounded at the door, and Nyx's musical voice chimed down the stairs, asking her son to answer it. Shuffling to the door, Dwyer opened it, greeted by the sight of a woman in a pair of khakis and a sky-blue blouse that could've done with more buttons fastened, her long blonde curls framing a face coated in makeup. "Ah, hello, Mrs. Clancy."

"Please, Dwyer, how many times must I ask you to call me Charlotte?" She asked playfully, putting a hand on her hip. "You'll make me feel _old._ Not that I don't already, next to your mother."

Dwyer chuckled, "My apologies."

Charlotte looked past him with a smile, "Ah, Nyx! Your son is polite as always."

Dwyer's mother, dressed in a modest purple sundress, smiled gently. "Thank you, Charlotte. Now Dwyer, make sure to keep the doors locked, and put those dishes away, you know you always forget."

Face flushing, Dwyer nodded. "Got it. Have a good time, Mother."

"Thanks, dear. I'll be back later." Standing on her toes to kiss her son's cheek, she turned and left, Charlotte starting some tirade about some cosmetics company.

Dwyer smiled as he locked the door. His parents had some strange friends… _not unlike me,_ he admitted to himself, padding to the kitchen to put the dishes away.

After scrubbing every inch of the kitchen and brewing a pot of chamomile tea, Dwyer sat at the kitchen table, going through chemistry homework while enjoying his tea, sorely missing his oven.

At the thought, the teenage boy looked up at the clock, tossing his bangs out of his face. _Oh. Haircut. Forgot again._ It was noon. So… was the repairman supposed to be there soon?

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. _Hey, somebody used our doorbell for once._ Dwyer thought to himself as he unlocked the door, opening it. "Yes?"

A man stood there, toolbox by his feet and grin on his face. He looked… energetic. White and black hair was cropped just above his shoulders, and Dwyer briefly wondered if it was dyed.

"Hey, name's Keaton. Somebody got a broken oven?" He almost seemed happy about it. _Well, I suppose he gets paid for it, so… I would be too,_ Dwyer conceded, nodding.

"Yeah, it's right in here." As he held the door open, the man nodded in thanks, speaking again.

"I hope you don't mind, I brought my daughter along, tryin' to show her the ropes."

"Oh no, that's not a problem," Dwyer waved a hand, honestly not caring at all. His oven was getting fixed.

"Well, thank you much. Come on, Velouria, and let your daddy show you how to fix an oven." Dwyer, who was staring at the floor, saw a familiar pair of converse. Red. High-top. Looking up quickly, he found himself face to face with Lil' Miss Dirt Cookie herself, signature red hoodie hugging her body.

 _Well, darn._

* * *

 **Dun dun duuuunnn! So, my next chapter is here quicker than I had anticipated, and I hope you liked it!**

 **Just so y'all know, I hope you don't think Duncan is too cheesy a surname for Hinata, it means 'brown warrior', and his hair, and I couldn't resist... XD**

 **So, more Velouria in this chapter! *gasp* We actually got her name, yay! XD Why does Dwyer dread her being at his house? Who knows! Tune in next time to find out. :P**

 **Thank you very much to all those who followed, favorited, and/or reviewed! You guys seriously made me so happy, this is my first time delving into Fire Emblem fanfiction, and I really appreciate the support. :D**

 **And to Jay, the guest reviewer: Thank you SOOO much! :D**

 **I like to make sure all reviews get a reply. XD**

 **Please be sure to leave what you thought in a review! I don't mind short ones, don't mind long ones, and constructive criticism is always appreciated. Until next time!**

 **Have a lovely day~**

 **~Swaggy-chan**


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